Assuming a decent credit rating, any potential home buyer can secure a loan for a house. Why? Because these
transactions are secured by a very valuable asset: the home itself. If a borrower defaults on a loan, the risk for the
lender is often only the difference between the value of the home and the amount outstanding on the loan, less the
amount it costs them to foreclose and resell the property.

For this reason, lenders are very wary of lending more than a certain percentage of a homes value. Traditionally,
this has been 80 percent. The cushion this provides the lender helps ensure that their losses from loan defaults
are kept to a minimum.

In recent years, however, it has become increasingly more common to see home buyers using down payments
of 10, 5 or even 0 percent. Naturally, loaning this much presents the lenders with a lot more risk. To offset this risk,
these transactions often require Private Mortgage Insurance or PMI. This supplemental policy protects the lender in
case a borrower defaults on the loan, and the value of the house is lower than the loan balance.

PMI has been a large money-maker for the mortgage lenders. The amount of the insurance often $40-$50 per
month for a $100,000 house is commonly rolled into the mortgage payment. Given the size of the overall payment,
this additional fee is often overlooked. Homeowners continue to pay the PMI even after their loan balance has dropped
below the original 80 percent threshold. This occurs naturally, of course, as the home owner pays down the principal
on the loan. On a typical 30-year loan, however, it can take many years to reach that point.

Until recently lenders were under no obligation to tell home owners when they had reached a point where the PMI
can be dropped. That all changed in 1999, when the Homeowners Protection Act took effect. In most cases, this law
now obligates lenders to terminate the PMI when the principal balance of the loan reaches 78 percent of the original
loan amount. Savvy homeowners can get off the hook a little earlier. The law stipulates that, upon request of the
home owner, the PMI must be dropped when the principal amount reaches only 80 percent!

It is important to note that this law only applies to home loans whether first time or refinances that closed after
July, 1999. Also certain other conditions must be met, such as being current on the loan payments. Buyers that
purchased before July 1999 can also have their PMI removed, but they must initiate the process and though the
lender is under no obligation to do so, most will.

Of course, there is another way that home owners equity can reach beyond the 80/20 percent ratio. Many areas
of the United States have seen significant gains in the value of real estate over the past decade. In fact, certain areas
have seen appreciation levels of 100 percent or more. Even those people living in areas with more modest gains may
find that the value of their property has quickly grown to the point where the amount of principal they owe on their loan
is less than 80 percent of the homes current value. Again, in these cases, the lenders are under no legal obligation to
remove the PMI. In most cases, however, as long as the home owner has been prompt on their loan payments and
dont represent an exceptional risk, the lenders will agree to remove the extra fees.

The hardest thing for most home owners to know is just when does their home equity rise above this magical 20
percent point? A certified, licensed real estate appraiser can certainly help. It is an appraisers job to know the
market dynamics of their area. They know when property values have risen or declined. Many appraisers offer
specific services to help customers find the value of their homes and remove PMI payments. Faced with this data,
the mortgage company will most often eliminate the PMI with little trouble. The savings from dropping the PMI
pays for the appraisal in a matter of months. At which time, the home owner can enjoy the savings from that point on.

For more information on PMI and the Homeowners Protection Act, try one of these links: